US now arming Iraq to fight the very al-Qaeda it has been funding

Taliban

Newscast Media BAGHDAD—In a twist of fate, the U.S. is now arming the Iraqi
government to fight Al-Qaeda militants in the Middle East that we were led to believe
are the good guys. What is ironic about this is, that same Al-Qaeda is being funded
by the West to fight Syria’s Assad. So on one hand, the West views them as the bad
guys and is arming Iraq to fight and defeat them, on the other hand, the West views
al-Qaeda as the good guys and is arming them to fight and defeat Assad. You can’t
make this stuff up!

The White House confirmed that the United States is “accelerating” its deliveries of
military equipment to Iraq to help the government fight Al-Qaeda-linked militants.

The comments were made by White House spokesman Jay Carney on January 6 as
fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) last week seized parts of
Fallujah and the nearby capital of Anbar Province, Ramadi.

Carney told reporters in Washington that the United States was “looking to provide an
additional shipment of Hellfire missiles” as early as this spring. In an effort to help Iraq
track militant groups, the spokesman said the United States would also provide more
surveillance drones: 10 in the upcoming weeks and another 48 later this year.

Carney added that Washington was “working closely with the Iraqis to develop a
holistic strategy to isolate the Al-Qaeda-affiliated groups.” But he insisted that Iraq
must handle the conflict itself.

With hundreds of residents already fleeing shelling and air strikes by government
forces, Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is calling on residents of Fallujah to take
action to expel the militants from the city and avert an assault by the Iraqi Army.

In a statement broadcast on state-run television on January 6, Maliki warned that
Fallujah could face the “danger of armed clashes” if the military moves in. The prime
minister added that he had ordered security forces not to attack in residential areas.

Iran, an ally of Maliki’s government, has offered assistance. The state-run Islamic
Republic News Agency quoted the deputy chief of staff of Iran’s military as offering
“equipment and advice” to help in the fight against the militants. However, General
Mohammad Hejazi said there had been no request from Baghdad for a joint operation.

The latest fighting broke out in Anbar Province, west of Baghdad, on December 30
after a Sunni protest camp in Ramadi was dismantled by government forces. The
government had accused the camp of serving as a base for Al-Qaeda-linked militants.